Next Public Philosophy Colloquium on Thursday, February 26 @ 4:30pm

Abstract: Imagine two opposed groups of thinkers: one group insists that religious beliefs of a certain kind produced modern moral beliefs and practices; the other group protests that modern moral beliefs and practices are wholly divorced (and divorce-able) from religious beliefs and their influence. Furthermore, both groups believe that the world has improved morally, or will only improve morally, given that their respective position is true. If this imagined conflict seems familiar, that’s because it’s a conflict we encounter in online and public discourse. In this talk, I negotiate these groups’ differences and similarities by reflecting on the ways both groups contributed to concepts, values, and histories relevant to contemporary human rights discourse. As a result, I show that despite significant practical and theoretical differences, the ethical-moral perspectives we presently inhabit, such as those captured in rights discourse, have been historically shaped by religious and non-religious thought alike.

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